TY - JOUR
T1 - Induction of surface exclusion (entry exclusion) by Streptococcus faecalis sex pheromones
T2 - Use of monoclonal antibodies to identify an inducible surface antigen involved in the exclusion process
AU - Dunny, G. M.
AU - Zimmerman, D. L.
AU - Tortorello, M. L.
PY - 1985
Y1 - 1985
N2 - The Streptococcus faecalis plasmid pCF-10 is representative of a class of plasmids that enables its host cells to respond to sex pheromones produced by other S. faecalis cells. The pheromone response has been previously shown to result in increased conjugal plasmid transfer, cell clumping, and multiple cell-surface antigenic changes. To test for other effects of pheromone induction, cells carrying pCF-10 were used as recipients in matings with an isogenic donor strain carrying a derivative of pCF-10, tagged with a transposon to provide an additional selective marker. Pheromone induction of the 'male recipients' decreased their recipient ability by a factor of 10-300 in comparison to uninduced cells or plasmid-free recipients. These results indicate that an entry exclusion (surface exclusion) function, similar to that described in studies of plasmids in Gram-negative bacteria, is induced during the S. faecalis pheromone response process. The exclusion operates only against homologous plasmids. Immunological, biochemical, and genetic experiments using monoclonal antibodies reactive with C130, the predominant protein antigen associated with the pheromone response of cells carrying pCF-10, indicate that this antigen is involved in surface exclusion. The data also support the notion that synthesis of C130 involves a post-translational modification of a precursor of C130 to a final product of higher molecular weight form.
AB - The Streptococcus faecalis plasmid pCF-10 is representative of a class of plasmids that enables its host cells to respond to sex pheromones produced by other S. faecalis cells. The pheromone response has been previously shown to result in increased conjugal plasmid transfer, cell clumping, and multiple cell-surface antigenic changes. To test for other effects of pheromone induction, cells carrying pCF-10 were used as recipients in matings with an isogenic donor strain carrying a derivative of pCF-10, tagged with a transposon to provide an additional selective marker. Pheromone induction of the 'male recipients' decreased their recipient ability by a factor of 10-300 in comparison to uninduced cells or plasmid-free recipients. These results indicate that an entry exclusion (surface exclusion) function, similar to that described in studies of plasmids in Gram-negative bacteria, is induced during the S. faecalis pheromone response process. The exclusion operates only against homologous plasmids. Immunological, biochemical, and genetic experiments using monoclonal antibodies reactive with C130, the predominant protein antigen associated with the pheromone response of cells carrying pCF-10, indicate that this antigen is involved in surface exclusion. The data also support the notion that synthesis of C130 involves a post-translational modification of a precursor of C130 to a final product of higher molecular weight form.
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U2 - 10.1073/pnas.82.24.8582
DO - 10.1073/pnas.82.24.8582
M3 - Article
C2 - 3936037
AN - SCOPUS:0022381366
VL - 82
SP - 8582
EP - 8586
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
SN - 0027-8424
IS - 24
ER -